Blankets
by mr. ukki
Summary: How far would a kid go for his canine friend? A Christmas fic about gift giving.


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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I don't know if Jiraiya's hair was long when Kakashi was this young. Let's just assume that it was. 

And kids, don't do this at home. Please…

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It was already December 23. The Rookie Nine, plus Nieji, Ten Ten and Lee, decided to have a Christmas party in one of the famous shinobi pubs now that they were finally of age. They invited their ex-senseis, of course. All the more to feel that they were really teammates now. Team 7 surely invited Kakashi. Sakura invited Tsunade, too. The fifth taught her the medic skills she was now proud to have. And since Tsunade was invited, of course, Shizune would come. Do I have to say Sasuke didn't invite Orochimaru? No, I don't. Naruto also invited his second ex-sensei, Jiraiya. 

Now it was 8:00 in the evening. They still had about an hour before the celebration started. Jiraiya and Naruto were still in the Toad Sannin's house. Jiraiya wanted to look good for Tsunade so he decided to spend extra minutes in the shower.

"Just sit there and wait, Naruto." Jiraiya told his ex-student. Naruto did just that. After a good thirty to forty minutes, Naruto coundn't stand not doing anything anymore so he rummaged through Jiraiya's things in his living room and came across a very old photo album. He opened the the cover and saw something that made his long waiting worth while.

"NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oy, ero-sennin! You didn't tell me you were almost bald when you were young!" Naruto removed one of Jiraiya's pictures from the toad-designed photo album. He ran to where the sannin's bathroom was and leaned on the door. "Though it didn't suit you, I prefer your hair this way."

Jiraiya angrily opened the door, causing his student to fall backwards. He, wearing only his bathrobe, walked into his room to put on some clothes. He closed his bedroom door with a loud bang to show his irritation. "And why do you prefer that horrible style?" he asked with a raised voice.

Naruto stood up and headed for the living room. He sat down on one of the sofas and answered Jiraiya's question with a raised voice also so the white-haired sannin could hear. "Because you look stupider! HAHAHAHA!!! What were you thinking! Apparently, hair-cutting's not your thing. BWAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"Tell that to the bakemono who actually cut my hair."

Naruto rubbed the snot coming out of his nose. "Oh? So you didn't do this to yourself?"

"OF COURSE!" Jiraiya, fully dressed now, opened his door and went to where his student was. "Why would I do that to myself on Christmas Eve? Let me tell you what happened."

* * *

_"Kakashi, you BRAT! Where the hell are you?" A SHORT-HAIRED Jiraiya walked through Konoha's streets fuming with anger. He didn't care much about the peculiar looks everyone was giving him. He did take note of the faces of the ones who failed to hide their amusement._

_Well, who wouldn't look at this strange sight and not find it hilarious? It was Christmas, snowfall was a little heavy and Jiraiya's head was supposed to be as white as the ground. But now there were blotches of flesh that tell you the hair cutter didn't know how to use his scissors. His head was kind of in the stage before balding. Just imagine how many scarves you could make using his cut hair. Probably a hundred._

_"Jiraiya!" one shinobi shouted, openly laughing at the angry man. He walked toward Jiraiya, no matter how dangerous the old man looked, and patted him on the back. "Merry Christmas. Oh! Aren't you cold?"_

_"Sakumo, where's this brat of yours?"_

_"Who?" Sakumo teasingly replied._

_"You know who I'm talking about. Don't cover for him," Jiraiya ordered._

_"Uh… No I don't know who you're talking 'bout!" Of course he did!_

_"Where. Is. Kakashi."_

_"Why?" Sakumo asked in false curiousity. He didn't have to ask. He already knew why. His brat told and showed him what he did earlier. He was actually shocked by what his son did and if it weren't for Kakashi's good intention, Sakumo would've been angry at the boy too._

_"CAN'T YOU SEE WHY!?!" Jiraiya was running out of patience. He was already in the streets far too long for his liking._

_"Nope. All I see is that your hair has gotten shorter."_

_"HE DID THIS!!! AND HE CAN'T DENY IT!!! PEOPLE I INTERVIEWED SAID THEY SAW A LITTLE SAKUMO RUNNING WITH A WHITE BLANKET!!!!"_

_"They said blanket, not hair." Sakumo said trying his best to cover for his son. Never let your comrades down, he always said to himself. He smiled at the thought and the situation they were in._

_"HE WAS RUNNING SO FAST HOW WOULD THEY SEE THE STRANDS?!"_

_Sakumo just chuckled. He didn't know what to say to Jiraiya anymore. He knew the sannin wouldn't kill his kid. Even if Jiraiya was so mad right now, he still wouldn't kill a young child. Even if that child cut his hair. Oh jeez…_

* * *

_Five hours earlier, a four-year old Kakashi woke up from his sleep. He didn't usually wake up at five o'clock in the morning but his so-called mission required him to sacrifice 2 hours of sleep for its completion. He quietly got out of bed and put on his clothes._

_In another room inside the Hatake residence, Sakumo opened his eyes when he felt movements in his son's room._

_"He's awake." Sakumo said to his wife, who was lying close to him._

_"Kakashi?"_

_"Yes."_

_Kakashi's mother sighed. "He's preparing for his mission… You know what it is?"_

_Sakumo shrugged then pulled his wife closer to him. "No. you?"_

_She chuckled. "No. He said it's 'conflitatial.'" Then she chuckled some more, remembering how much Kakashi-kun tried to hide his plans._

_"Nani? Why does he suddenly know more words than I do?" His wife was now hugging him closer to stifle her laughter. The White Fang asked again, "What's 'conflitatial?'"_

_"He meant 'confidential'. He must've heard you use the word once."_

_Both Sakumo and his beloved wife laughed together at their son's try at using 'adult' words._

_In the other room, Kakashi gathered the materials he needed for this mission. He prepared a pair of scissors and some ropes._ _**Mom will surely get mad. But I'll still do this for my buddy.** After that, he got his backpack from under his bed and neatly placed the materials he prepared. Then he sneaked out of the house, not hearing his parents' suppressed laughter._

_When the little Hatake reached his destination, he immediately found what he dreaded he'd have a hard time to find. He saw Jiraiya sleeping on the floor of his apartment, smiling a little because of some perverted dream he was having. Kakashi could smell what the white-haired Jiji-san had been drinking the previous night and it made the boy less nervous. This is going to be easy, he thought. He somehow knew what alcohol did to drinkers. And so, Kakashi did what he came to do._

_He cut Jiraiya's looooooooong hair._

_When he was done, Kakashi tied the strands together. He tried to fit them in his bag but they were just too thick and long. He was afraid they'd get damaged if he forced them in. So he just resolved to carry the slightly heavy bundle on his shoulder while he returned to their house._

_He wasn't happy when he realized some people were already up. **I have to be as quiet as possible. A good shinobi must not let his enemies see him.** He was not that good in hiding yet though so some people still saw this little Sakumo "running with a large white blanket."_

_When he arrived home, Kakashi was greeted by his father. Sakumo was now curious about the white bundle Kakashi was holding, especially that it smelled soooooooooooooo familiar. He knew that scent. He just refused to believe what his nose told him._

_"What is that exactly, Kakashi?"_

_"Dad! You mean this? It's …" Kakashi told him._

_Sakumo almost choked on his own saliva. He couldn't believe his son did that for that!_

* * *

_"Why would he… (sniff…sniff…) do this, Sakumo? Why did… he pick me?" The sannin, his head bowed, was on his knees pounding the ground. Then he sat straight and pointed at Sakumo. "WHY DIDN'T HE JUST CUT YOURS INSTEAD? IT'S LONG TOO!" __Sakumo chuckled again. He was relieved Kakashi didn't pick him as his target. Thank Kami my son loves me. If he cut my hair I'll --- "Hey wait, Jiraiya!"_

_"I'm going to your house and look for your brat. Kuso! Why didn't I do that earlier?"_

_Jiraiya went to the Hatake house in ninja speed and Sakumo went after him in the same manner. When he arrived at his destination, he saw his precious hair used as a blanket… by a dog._

_"Luna! Now you won't feel cold at night! Merry Christmas!" shouted a small voice from under the same 'blanket'. "I already washed it so it doesn't smell like an old man anymore." Kakashi emerged from the fibrous white blanket with a happy face. He hugged the large dog and thanked it for guarding him every night. Then he saw Jiji-san and his dad looking at him, his buddy and the very unique Christmas gift. One of the old men had on his face a mixture of nervousness, pride, and happiness. The other displayed a totally shocked expression. Then an angry one._

_"YOU CUT MY HAIR SO THE DOG CAN HAVE SOME!?!?! YOU BRAT!!!"_

_Kakashi pouted and hugged Luna on the neck. "You had more than you needed," countered Kakashi with his young high-pitched voice._

_"AND I SUPPOSE YOUR FATHER DOESN'T!?!"_

_"Dad's hair is too short to cover Luna. Yours fit him perfectly." Kakashi answered, proud that he could measure accurately._

_"MY HAIR!!! THAT'S MY HAIR!!! IT'S SOMETHING I GREW ON MY OWN!!! IF THAT DOG WANTS SOME, HE SHOULD GROW HIS OWN!!!"_

_"Jiraiya, I don't want you scaring my wife inside the house because of your screaming."_

_"BUT THAT'S MY HAIR!!!"_

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"KAKASHI-SENSEI DID THAT?!?!?!?!?! OH! OH!!! HAHAHA!!! I find that hard to believe, believe it!!!"

"Right…"

"If I were you, I would have shaved his head, too! HAHA!!!"

"I'm planning to." Jiraiya said with a sly smile.

Naruto stopped laughing. "Oh really?"

"Yeaaahh. Follow me." Jiraiya led Naruto to his room and showed him a small cage.

"I woulndn't want to do something without having good intentions so..."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the small cage. Then looked up at Jiraiya, asking him to explain.

"Meet my new parrot."

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Hope you liked it!!! Review please. Ja ne! \o/ 


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